8 Ways We Get Pinoy Pride Wrong
By Wincy Aquino Ong
Ang galling talaga ng Pinoy! How often have we heard this?
Yes, it goes without saying that Filipinos ooze national pride. So much so that it comes out of our ear canals, our nostrils and every orifice of our bodies.
Step back a bit. Could it be that we haven’t taken off our rose-tinted glasses even for just a moment? Read on; here are 8 ways our sense of national pride can be misguided, sometimes.
8. Someone’s victory is everyone’s victory.
We jump for joy every time we read about Brillante Mendoza, Michael Cinco and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. You know the drill. The same goes for our athletes and reality show delegates.
Their wins are our wins. It’s simply osmosis. We don’t have to do anything about ourselves, about our lives. Leave all the work to the extraordinary Filipinos.
The rest of us will just watch our teleseryes and spend the entire day on Facebook, basking in other people’s glory.
7. Mixed-race celebs over the maiitim ones.
Look at all the A-list celebrities nowadays. Find the pattern.
It strikes me that viewers have a liking towards those who have a little American, British and Australian DNA in their bloodstreams.
And yes, these are the faces that represent us Filipinos. Not the maiitim ones.
6. Saluting the English-speaking, “intelligent” Pinoy.
Matalino ‘yung artista. Tama grammar niya at tunog-foreign ang diction.
Um, isn’t Filipino a more difficult language to learn? Ask the expats how they’re faring.
5. An obsession with the idea of family.
Exhibit A: 23-year-old Filipina with three children, no job. She makes all her employed cousins the ninangs of her children so she can milk them for money.
Exhibit B: 23-year-old Filipina, single, employed, hard-working. No boyfriend.
The winner during family reunions? Exhibit A, of course. Why she has children! Blessed are the children, they say.
4. The jeepney as a symbol of the nation.
Ah yes, the jeepney! The staple image you’ll find in every souvenir shop. The great symbol of Filipino innovation and artistry.
If you think hard enough, the jeepney is not even a Filipino invention! It’s just us making use of salvaged junk left by the G.I.s after WW2 and telling everyone the idea was ours. It’s actually American technology.
So yes, the jeepney has to go. They’re scientifically not safe for passengers and they’re an eyesore in our already unsightly cities.
3. Championing “maparaan” solutions.
If only MacGyver could see the inventiveness we apply to everyday problems—oh, how he’d blush!
Have you heard about the emergency raft made from mineral water bottles? Be proud. That’s more Pinoy than having a scientifically tested boat during floods.
2. Taking pride in the OFW phenomenon.
They are the new heroes of the nation. They should continue their inspiring acts.
That’s right. We should outsource jobs rather than create them. We should separate mothers from children years in their formative (hey, as long as they Facetime on weekends). We should be happy that people need jobs abroad to survive.
1. Smiling during catastrophe.
We are a happy nation. During rainy season, while others see a flood, we see a swimming pool. That’s why we don’t think twice before diving into pools formulated with Leptospirosis.
What prevention strategies? What actionable steps? Damn those all to hell.
All we need is a selfie stick and a flash of our pearly whites.
How do you think we get #PinoyPride wrong? Sound off below!
